On 16 and 17 July [2009], three German comrades were summoned by judges in Berlin and Hamburg, in the framework of the "Tarnac Affair." In Berlin, following a gathering in front of the French Embassy, they were brought before a judge to whom, in conformity with what they said, they made no statements. The German authorities were responding to the rogatory commission launched by Judge Fragnoli, who based his suspicions about the two Berliners on the fact that, ten years ago, they had been arrested and released following a campaign that sabotaged train lines to protest against the shipments of nuclear wastes over them.

Two weeks ago, in Perouse [Italy], two companions were thrown in jail, following a vast operation by the media and the police that merits attention. While the newspapers (Le Nouvel Observateur in France and all of the Italian press) congratulated themselves that two dangerous terrorists had been arrested at the moment they were trying to sabotage train lines, it came out that, in fact, it was 16 months ago that the two companions had been spotted by the Italian federal police not far from a railroad line and that the police didn't arrest them so as to be able to continue to surveill them.

To: Procura di Torino

Call in solidarity with the students arrested the 6th of July in Italy

In the night between the 5th and the 6th of July, 21 students were arrested in a sweeping police operation. They were charged with being involved in the mobilization of the 19th of May in Turin against the G8 University Summit. On that day more than 10,000 undergraduate and PhD students, as well as precarious researchers, took public voice in a huge demonstration to express another time – after the mobilizations of last fall – their opposition to the dismantling of the public university.

These charges are not usually cause for preventive arrest, almost two months after the events. There is a clear disproportion between the supposed charges and the use of a heavy juridical tool. This disproportion risks erasing democratic principles, which must on the contrary be reaffirmed. The twenty-one arrested – fifteen are in jail, six under house arrest – are young students, almost all with clean records.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and other world leaders have been forced to abandon a traditional "family" photo at the G8 summit in Italy amid fears a protester had infiltrated their gathering.

The 39 leaders, including the US President Barack Obama, were lined up in front of the military barracks in the Abruzzo town of L'Aquila when the informal photo call with the world's media was hastily called to a halt.

No explanation was provided but security men huddled around Libyan leader Muammar Gadaffi and the French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who was also standing nearby, was also whisked away.

Not long after, official visits to the earthquake-devastated town piazza were cancelled by the Italians and reports began to emerge of a vocal anti-globalisation protest in the town centre.

L’AQUILA (AFP) - Around 5,000 anti-globalisation protesters and local residents marched Friday on the G8 summit in the quake-hit Italian town of L’Aquila.
Marchers set off from one of dozens of tented camps near the mountain town set up to house victims of the devastating April 6 earthquake, watched by a large force of police.
The protest was originally organised by local citizens’ groups to draw attention to the slow progress of reconstruction three months after the quake, which killed 299 people and left some 70,000 homeless.
However, anti-globalisation groups comprised the vast majority of the marchers, AFP photographers said, after insisting in the run-up to the summit on taking part in the peaceful protest.
Tempers were strained as the sun beat down on the marchers along the seven-kilometre route and demonstrators shouted slogans at police.

L'AQUILA, Italy -- Hundreds of protesters are gathering in L'Aquila to march against the Group of Eight summit held in this quake-hit central Italian town.

Anti-globalization activists carrying red communist flags and wearing "No G-8" T-shirts were bused in from across Italy to set out from the L'Aquila suburb of Paganica.

Thousands of protesters gathered near the central Italian town of L'Aquila on Friday, as the Group of Eight summit came to a close.

A crowd of anti-G8 protesters, including local residents and various international groups, has gathered at a railway station in the quake-hit town's suburb of Paganica.

"We do not want the G8 leaders to search for the ways to overcome the crisis that they started. We want the demands of the affected people to be considered in the restoration of L'Aquila," Paolo Ferrero of the Communist Refoundation Party said.

Participants are protesting against the stalling of restoration work in L'Aquila, where almost 300 people died, 1,500 were injured and about 50,000 left homeless in April's earthquake.

Protest outside CIE Ponte Galeria

During the protests against the G8 in Italy, some 400 people protest in front of the CIE Ponte Galeria, Rome.

A few days ago Berlusconis government released a so called Security Act (pacchetto sicuezza). From now on the unauthorized stay on italian ground is a crime. People caught can be inprisoned for a period of up to six months under worst conditions. On July 9, more than 400 people were demonstrating in front of such a “Lager”, the Identification and Expulsion Center (CIE) in Ponte Galeria, Rome.

Students from Sapienza University yesterday began the occupation of a residential house in Pigneto, Rome, as part of the direct actions being taken against the G8. More than 80 students occupied the space and will hold an assembly tomorrow where they will invite the University authorities and muncipality to hear their request to live in the building, which has been empty for more than 10 years. The occupiers intend to turn the building into a self-organised student house for 20 people to live in, since the rent in Rome is considerably disproportionate to the financial support available to students, and less than 4% of the 180,000 students at Sapienza are able to receive housing support from the University.

Yesterday a sit-in was held in Regina Coeli to express solidarity with the activists jailed in the last days, another demo was held outide Rebibbia simultaneously with the autonomous protest of the female detainess.
Today demos were held in L'Aquila, Salerno, Ancona, Turin, Rome and Naples.
In L'Aquila, a symolic squatting of an abandoned building took place [pics and reports], besides that a 200 people demo took place, starting from Via strinella towards the "villa comunale" were a sit-in will be held.

Wednesday, July 8, a few hundred demonstrators gathered in front of the roman prison, where ten activist are held in custody, to show their solidarity with them. The imprisoned activists took part in a demonstration against the G8 summit the day before. This demonstration was attacked by the police, which chased the demonstrators through the city. 36 people got arrested.

http://www.graswurzel.tv/

Environmentalists Protest G8 Summit

(AP) Environmentalists broke into power stations across Italy and shed their clothes in downtown Rome on Wednesday as world leaders discussed a new deal to combat global warming.

Dozens of activists from 18 countries scaled smokestacks and occupied four Italian coal-fired power plants, hanging banners that called on the Group of Eight summit in central Italy to take the lead in fighting climate change, Greenpeace said.

Italian energy giant Enel, which owns three of the plants, said production had not been disrupted by the protests. Employees at two of the plants staged counter-demonstrations, and the union for Italy's energy workers condemned the protest.

In the days of the g8 summit we will be outside the walls of Ponte Galeria, while the so-called “great eight” will be hiding inside a military base to discuss about crises.
The governments of the world talk in favour of a free circulation of goods and capital, expecting to stop and control the flow of migration. At the same time the only ways that people have to move are those related to the tourist industry or labour exploitation.
Deportations, uncontrolled detentions and security politics characterised by militarization, seem to be the answer of the industrialised countries to the financial and social crisis that they in great part have created themselves.
A few days ago the so called "security act" (pacchetto sicuezza) was approved.

On july 7th, during the 'welcome day to G8s', the InfoPoint available for the activists who responded to the call out 'V-strategy' in order to take part into the protests against this summit got cleared after police disproportionate repression and consequent arrests.
Today july 9th we start again from there " a building of university Roma Tre " to carry on a project of collaboration and protest whose first step was the release of an abandoned place that was taken back to life in terms of contents and relationships inside the protests against G8; it allowed local and International students and activists to share important moments.

Without losing heart for the strong repression suffered, today we claim our right to demonstrate and to scream our ideas; that's a right that was denied to all those who were deprived of their personal freedom and who are now in jail only because were demonstrating their dissent against the powerful ones who don't like disapprovals just to go on managing our lives to protect the personal interests of the 'eight greats' and of the economic governance whose they're slaves, forgetting the rights of the people for whom we were demonstrating.

Yesterday a sit-in expressing solidarity with the jailed activists was held outisde Regina Coeli, 600 people showed up.

The sit-in was held in Trastevere and there were musich and chants demanding freedom for the 5 jailed comrades, unfortunately the section of the jail facing Trastevere holds no cells but only offices, so it is unlikely that the jailed could have heard the chants and the slogans from the streets.

Wednesday the 8th of July has been a day full of actions in several italian cities. Solidarity for the arrested people has been obviously the main reason for people to mobilize.

In the morning the map of this crisis has been outlined in Rome. Rumors said that the White Rabbit has been reported on the lose again. Purple paint has been thrown against the Benetton store , and some fotoreporters have been charged of helping some activist to escape.
At last, a new space has been squatted in the Pigneto neighborhood, claiming the "right to a welfare against the super expensive student rents".
Another little sit-in organized by the comitee against workin' man's death took place in front of the Department of Work.

Meetings for mobilizations happening today:

- L'Aquila, 9.30 a.m: Activists from the city committees are meeting on the Roio hill in front of the Guarda di Finanza barracks, where the G8 is taking place

- Rome, 5 p.m: Meeting in front of the Regina Coeli jail, to ask for freedom for all the arrested people from yesterday's actions [ to go there: from termini central station you take the bus 40)

- Torino, 10.a.m: Sit-in NoG8 in Piazza Castello

- Milano, 6.30 p.m: Mobilization against the G8, the meeting is in Largo Carrobbio

Dozens of activists from 18 countries occupied four oal-fired power plants across Italy Wednesday, climbing smokestacks to hang banners calling on the Group of Eight summit to take the lead in fighting climate change, Greenpeace said.

Italian energy giant Enel, which owns three of the plants, said production had not been disrupted. Employees at two of the plants staged counter-demonstrations and the union for Italy's energy workers condemned the protest.

Protestors climb chimney and occupy conveyor belt at country’s biggest coal-burning power station

Four coal-fired power stations in several parts of Italy were today occupied by Greenpeace activists as G8 leaders met in L’Aquila to discuss issues including action on climate change. More than 100 Greenpeace activists from 18 countries took part in the protests, which hope to draw attention to the group’s campaign for action by world leaders on cutting greenhouse gas emissions.

One of the targets was Italy’s biggest coal-burning power station at Brindisi in south-eastern Italy where protestors climbed the chimney and occupied the conveyor belt carrying coal into the plant.

• THE GOVERNMENT feeds a climate of tension.
• WHAT IS NOT TO FILL THE FAILURE OF SUMMIT ANNOUNCED.

Milan, 6 July 2009 – "The arrests today are intolerable – said Vittorio Agnoletto, outgoing MEP, spokesman of the Genoa Social Forum at the time of the G8 in Genoa – have never seen precautionary measures preventive, aiming apparently to criminalize an entire movement.
Stop the wave of protesters two days after the G8 de L’Aquila is a clear message from the government, that in so doing feeds and exacerbates the climate of tension to the event (as he had done at Genoa, eight years ago). It is the second episode of what happened the other day in Vicenza, where I participated in the march against the Dal Molin base and where demonstrators have done everything to not fall into the trap of the forces order.

Rome - Sharpshooters on Monday took up positions in a "red zone" surrounding this week's Group of Eight summit venue in central Italy as part of an imposing security apparatus.

Authorities hope anti-globalisation protesters will stay away from the summit venue in L'Aquila - a devastated city still mourning the 299 victims of an April 6 earthquake - and have beefed up security in Rome as well.

From Monday, no one without accreditation to the summit will be allowed within a three-kilometre radius of the venue, a military academy that sprawls over 45 hectares, about the same area as the Vatican.

The "red zone" is under round-the-clock surveillance by sharpshooters.